A lucky break went the Lady Raiders way, and it turned into a big inning and a win. Three Rivers College lost the opener 4-0 against the Arkansas State club team before winning the nightcap 8-5 on Saturday. Arkansas State won 3 of 4 in the season series. With the Lady Raiders down 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning of the nightcap, Morgan Ledure lined a ball to short. After a diving catch and a toss to second, Arkansas State thought it had a double play. The umpires talked and ruled that the shortstop trapped the ball, and the Lady Raiders had runners on the corners with nobody out. "We've had plenty of breaks go the other way, so we'll take it," Three Rivers coach Jeff Null said. "We feel fortunate to be able to scrap a win against them."

The Lady Raiders lost both games at Arkansas State, 10-9 and 10-3 in February. Lexi Morris then came through with full count, two-run double to the gap in left-center field. "Lexi's big hit really got us going," Null said. Courtney Slayton singled, MaKayla Lamphier drove in Morris. Then Ally Hendricks capped off the six run inning with a three-run bomb to center. It was Hendricks' eighth home run of the season, making her eighth all-time for home runs in a season at Three Rivers, with 20 games still to go in the regular season. Destiny Bolen set the single season record last season with 15 home runs. Hendricks, who is now hitting better than .400 for the season and above .800 slugging, has hit six of her eight home runs since March 19.

Once Three Rivers (17- 16) got the lead, the defense kicked in. Kira Cunningham made a sliding catch in right field that saved a run, Slayton and Shaina Merrick turned a 6-4- 3 double play, and Merrick later added a diving stop and toss to second while laying on her stomach. "I was very pleased with the defense. Our pitchers, I thought, threw really well today. Offense came and went … mostly went. We had our big inning and made it stick," Null said. Lady Raider pitcher Carleigh Burnett (8-7) didn't give up a run after the second inning, and allowed four hits once the Lady Raiders took the lead. She finished with 10 hits against, no walks and two strikeouts. "Carleigh wasn't sharp early, but she seemed to settle down once we got the lead," Null said. Hendricks finished 2 for 2 with three RBIs and a stolen base. Ledure was 3 for 4, scored twice and stole a pair of bases. The Lady Raiders had trouble getting anything going against tough pitching in the opener. They finished with three hits, and Brittany Link was the only person to touch third base after she singled, stole second and took third on an error in the third inning. Arkansas State had a pair of solo home runs, then pushed two more across in the top of the seventh inning after double and a Lady Raiders error.

Wiley Lowry (8-6) allowed four hits with no walks and no strikeouts in the loss. Sixteen of the Lady Raiders' next 18 games will be against Region XVI competition. They start the stretch Monday at home against North Central before playing six straight on the road.